Tag Archives: Houston Astros

Yes, many of those baseball players who were drafted earlier this month have already started their pro careers, including Redlands High’s Jacob Nottingham, the all-Sun catcher this year who was drafted in the sixth round by the Houston Astros.

Nottingham has started his career with the Astros’ rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate in Florida. His career has started a little bit slowly, but that’s understandable, especially for high school hitters going from metal to wood bats. Through his first four games through Tuesday, Nottingham is 1 for 11 with one RBI, three walks and six strikeouts.

In the four games, he has appeared twice as a designated hitter and twice as a catcher. Perhaps his most impressive statistics have come in his limited playing time as a catcher. In the two games, he has thrown out two of three baserunners trying to steal, has no errors or passed balls. Many scouts will say that the best players won’t let struggles in one area (offense or defense) affect the other. So far, it appears Nottingham hasn’t.